Systems and methods for samog bearer management

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and devices for accessing a service of a wireless carrier network through a wireless local area network (WLAN) are described. A method includes selecting one or more traffic management parameters associated with the WLAN based at least in part on one or more quality of service (QoS) parameters associated with the service of the wireless carrier network being accessed. The method further includes transmitting packets over the WLAN using the selected one or more traffic management parameters associated with the WLAN when a user equipment accesses the service of the wireless carrier network through the WLAN. The user equipment enforces the selected one or more traffic management parameters for communications to the wireless carrier network. An access point enforces the selected one or more traffic management parameters for communications to the user equipment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/719,244, entitled “SYSTEMS ANDMETHODS FOR SAMOG BEARER MANAGEMENT” and filed on Oct. 26, 2012, theentire contents of which disclosure is herewith incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present application relates generally to wireless communications,and more specifically to systems, methods, and devices for bearermanagement for network elements in a wireless network.

2. Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide varioustypes of communication content such as voice and data. Typical wirelesscommunication systems may be multiple-access systems capable ofsupporting communication with multiple users by sharing available systemresources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of suchmultiple-access systems may include code division multiple access (CDMA)systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequencydivision multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency divisionmultiple access (OFDMA) systems, and the like. Additionally, the systemscan conform to specifications such as third generation partnershipproject (3GPP), 3GPP2, 3GPP long-term evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced,etc.

Generally, wireless multiple-access communication systems maysimultaneously support communication for multiple mobile devices. Eachmobile device may communicate with one or more base stations viatransmissions on forward and reverse links. The forward link (ordownlink) refers to the communication link from base stations to mobiledevices, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to the communicationlink from mobile devices to base stations.

As the demand for high-rate and multimedia data services rapidly grows,there has been an effort toward implementation of efficient and robustcommunication systems with enhanced performance. For example, in recentyears, users have started to replace fixed line communications withmobile communications and have increasingly demanded high voice quality,reliable service, and low prices.

To accommodate increasing demand, evolution of core networks of wirelesscommunication systems followed from evolution of radio interfaces. Forexample, System Architecture Evolution (SAE) lead by 3GPP aims to evolvea Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)/General Packet RadioService (GPRS) core network. The resultant Evolved Packet Core (EPC) isa multi-access core network based on the Internet Protocol (IP) thatenables operators to deploy and utilize one common packet-based corenetwork with a plurality of radio access technologies. The EPC providesoptimized mobility for mobile devices and enables efficient handoversbetween different radio access technologies (e.g., between LTE and HighRate Packet Data (HRPD)). In addition, standardized roaming interfacesenable operators to offer services to subscribers across a variety ofaccess technologies.

As the number and types of devices capable of communicating data via theradio network to the core network increase, a need exists to performsuch communications in an efficient manner.

SUMMARY

Various implementations of systems, methods and devices within the scopeof the appended claims each have several aspects, no single one of whichis solely responsible for the desirable attributes described herein.Without limiting the scope of the appended claims, some prominentfeatures are described herein. Other features, aspects, and advantageswill become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

One aspect of this disclosure provides a method for accessing a serviceof a wireless carrier network through a wireless local area network(WLAN). The method comprises selecting one or more traffic managementparameters associated with the WLAN based at least in part on one ormore quality of service (QoS) parameters associated with the service ofthe wireless carrier network being accessed. The method furthercomprises transmitting packets over the WLAN using the selected one ormore traffic management parameters associated with the WLAN when a userequipment accesses the service of the wireless carrier network throughthe WLAN. The user equipment may enforce the selected one or moretraffic management parameters for communications to the wireless carriernetwork. An access point may enforce the selected one or more trafficmanagement parameters for communications to the user equipment over aradio link.

Another aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus for accessing aservice of a wireless carrier network through a WLAN. The apparatuscomprises means for selecting one or more traffic management parametersassociated with the WLAN based at least in part on one or more QoSparameters associated with the service of the wireless carrier networkbeing accessed. The apparatus further comprises means for transmittingpackets over the WLAN using the selected one or more traffic managementparameters associated with the WLAN when a user equipment accesses theservice of the wireless carrier network through the WLAN. The userequipment may enforce the selected one or more traffic managementparameters for communications to the wireless carrier network. An accesspoint may enforce the selected one or more traffic management parametersfor communications to the user equipment over a radio link.

Another aspect of this disclosure provides a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed, causes anapparatus to select one or more traffic management parameters associatedwith a WLAN based at least in part on one or more QoS parametersassociated with a service of a wireless carrier network being accessed.The medium further comprises code that, when executed, causes anapparatus to transmit packets over the WLAN using the selected one ormore traffic management parameters associated with the WLAN when a userequipment accesses the service of the wireless carrier network throughthe WLAN. The user equipment may enforce the selected one or moretraffic management parameters for communications to the wireless carriernetwork. An access point may enforce the selected one or more trafficmanagement parameters for communications to the user equipment over aradio link.

Another aspect of this disclosure provides an apparatus for accessing aservice of a wireless carrier network through a WLAN. The apparatuscomprises a processor configured to select one or more trafficmanagement parameters associated with the WLAN based at least in part onone or more QoS parameters associated with the service of the wirelesscarrier network being accessed. The apparatus further comprises atransmitter configured to transmit packets over the WLAN using theselected one or more traffic management parameters associated with theWLAN when a user equipment accesses the service of the wireless carriernetwork through the WLAN. The user equipment may enforce the selectedone or more traffic management parameters for communications to thewireless carrier network. An access point may enforce the selected oneor more traffic management parameters for communications to the userequipment over a radio link.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication network inwhich aspects of the present disclosure may be employed.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example of a functional block diagram of certaincommunication entities of the wireless communication network of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B illustrates another example of a functional block diagram ofcertain communication entities of the wireless communication network ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a functional block diagram of awireless device that may be employed within the wireless communicationnetwork of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary call flow diagram of a bearer activationprocedure.

FIG. 5 illustrates another exemplary call flow diagram of a beareractivation procedure.

FIG. 6 illustrates another exemplary call flow diagram of a beareractivation procedure.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary call flow diagram that resolves a MAPCONconflict.

FIG. 8 illustrates a process for accessing a service of a carriernetwork through a wireless local area network (WLAN).

FIG. 9 illustrates a functional block diagram of an exemplary devicethat may be employed within the wireless communication network of FIG.1.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of a process for establishing a datacommunication pathway between network elements.

FIG. 11 illustrates a functional block diagram of an exemplary devicethat may be employed within the wireless communication network of FIG.1.

FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of a process for establishing a datacommunication pathway between network elements.

FIG. 13 illustrates a functional block diagram of an exemplary devicethat may be employed within the wireless communication network of FIG.1.

In accordance with common practice, the various features illustrated inthe drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the dimensions ofthe various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity.In addition, some of the drawings may not depict all of the componentsof a given system, method or device. Finally, like reference numeralsmay be used to denote like features throughout the specification andfigures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the novel systems, apparatuses, and methods aredescribed more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. The teachings disclosure may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to any specificstructure or function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather,these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to thoseskilled in the art. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the artshould appreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended to coverany aspect of the novel systems, apparatuses, and methods disclosedherein, whether implemented independently of or combined with any otheraspect of the invention. For example, an apparatus may be implemented ora method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forthherein. In addition, the scope of the invention is intended to coversuch an apparatus or method which is practiced using other structure,functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or otherthan the various aspects of the invention set forth herein. It should beunderstood that any aspect disclosed herein may be embodied by one ormore elements of a claim.

Although particular aspects are described herein, many variations andpermutations of these aspects fall within the scope of the disclosure.Although some benefits and advantages of the preferred aspects arementioned, the scope of the disclosure is not intended to be limited toparticular benefits, uses, or objectives. Rather, aspects of thedisclosure are intended to be broadly applicable to different wirelesstechnologies, system configurations, networks, and transmissionprotocols, some of which are illustrated by way of example in thefigures and in the following description of the preferred aspects. Thedetailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of thedisclosure rather than limiting, the scope of the disclosure beingdefined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other implementations. The following description ispresented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use theinvention. Details are set forth in the following description forpurpose of explanation. It should be appreciated that one of ordinaryskill in the art would realize that the invention may be practicedwithout the use of these specific details. In other instances, wellknown structures and processes are not elaborated in order not toobscure the description of the invention with unnecessary details. Thus,the present invention is not intended to be limited by theimplementations shown, but is to be accorded with the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

The techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunication networks such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, FrequencyDivision Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA)networks, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, etc. The terms“networks” and “systems” are often used interchangeably. A CDMA networkmay implement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial RadioAccess (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) andLow Chip Rate (LCR). cdma2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856standards. A TDMA network may implement a radio technology such asGlobal System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA network mayimplement a radio technology such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11,IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM arepart of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). Long TermEvolution (LTE) is a release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA,GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in documents from an organization named“3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP). cdma2000 is described indocuments from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project2” (3GPP2).

Furthermore, in the following description, for reasons of concisenessand clarity, terminology associated with the UMTS systems is used. Itshould be emphasized that the disclosed techniques may also beapplicable to other technologies, such as technologies and theassociated standards related to LTE Advanced, LTE, W-CDMA, TDMA, OFDMA,High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), Evolved High Rate Packet Data (eHRPD),Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), GSM, enhanceddata rate for GSM evolution (EDGE), and so forth. Terminologiesassociated with different technologies can vary. For example, dependingon the technology considered, the User Equipment (UE) used in UMTS cansometimes be called a mobile station, a user terminal, a subscriberunit, an access terminal, etc., to name just a few. Likewise, Node Bused in UMTS can sometimes be called an evolved Node B (eNodeB), anaccess node, an access point, a base station (BS), HRPD base station(BTS), and so forth. It should be noted here that differentterminologies apply to different technologies when applicable.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication network orsystem 100 in which aspects of the present disclosure may be employed.The wireless communication network 100 may operate pursuant to awireless standard, for example the LTE Advanced standard, LTE standard,WiMax standard, GSM standard, EDGE standard, 802.11 standard, WiFiAdvanced-N standard, and so forth. The wireless communication system 100may include an access point (AP) 104, which communicates with stations(STAs) 106.

An access point (AP) may comprise, be implemented as, or known as a NodeB, Radio Network Controller (RNC), eNodeB, Base Station Controller(BSC), Base Transceiver Station (BTS), Base Station (BS), TransceiverFunction (TF), Radio Router, Radio Transceiver, or some otherterminology.

A station STA may comprise, be implemented as, or known as an accessterminal (AT), a subscriber station, a subscriber unit, a mobilestation, a remote station, a remote terminal, a user terminal, a useragent, a user device, user equipment (UE), or some other terminology. Insome implementations an access terminal may comprise a cellulartelephone, a cordless telephone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant(PDA), a smart meter or other machine-to-machine wireless communicationdevice, a handheld device having wireless connection capability, or someother suitable processing device connected to a wireless modem.Accordingly, one or more aspects disclosed herein may be incorporatedinto a phone (e.g., a cellular phone or smartphone), a computer (e.g., alaptop), a portable communication device, a headset, a portablecomputing device (e.g., a personal data assistant), an entertainmentdevice (e.g., a music or video device, or a satellite radio), a gamingdevice or system, a wireless sensor device, a global positioning systemdevice, or any other suitable device that is configured to communicatevia a wireless medium.

A variety of processes and methods may be used for transmissions in thewireless communication system 100 between the AP 104 and the STAs 106.For example, signals may be sent and received between the AP 104 and theSTAs 106 in accordance with OFDM/OFDMA techniques. If this is the case,the wireless communication system 100 may be referred to as anOFDM/OFDMA system. Alternatively, signals may be sent and receivedbetween the AP 104 and the STAs 106 in accordance with W-CDMA or CDMAtechniques. If this is the case, the wireless communication system 100may be referred to as a W-CDMA or CDMA system.

A communication link that facilitates transmission from the AP 104 toone or more of the STAs 106 may be referred to as a downlink (DL), and acommunication link that facilitates transmission from one or more of theSTAs 106 to the AP 104 may be referred to as an uplink (UL).Alternatively, a downlink may be referred to as a forward link or aforward channel, and an uplink may be referred to as a reverse link or areverse channel.

The AP 104 may be configured as a base station and provide wirelesscommunication coverage in a basic service area (BSA) 102. Depending onthe technology considered, BSA can sometimes be called coverage area,cell, etc. The AP 104 along with the STAs 106 associated with the AP 104and that use the AP 104 for communication may be referred to as a basicservice set (BSS). It should be noted that the wireless communicationsystem 100 may not have a central AP 104, but rather may function as apeer-to-peer network between the STAs 106. Accordingly, the functions ofthe AP 104 described herein may alternatively be performed by one ormore of the STAs 106.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example of a functional block diagram of certaincommunication entities of the wireless communication network of FIG. 1.The components shown in FIG. 2A illustrate a system in which a multimodeor multiband device may communicate using multiple radio accesstechnologies (RATs), for example an eHRPD network, an LTE network, etc.depending on the configuration of the network in the location in whichthe mobile device is currently operating. As FIG. 2A illustrates, thesystem 200 may include a radio access network (RAN) 202 that provideswireless radio communications between a UE 206 and an eNodeB 208 a(e.g., a Node B, base station, access point, etc.) using LTE radioaccess technology. The system also depicts a RAN 204 which provideswireless radio communications between a UE 206 and a eHRPD basetransceiver station (BTS) 208 b (e.g., a Node B, base station, accesspoint etc.) using eHRPD radio access technology. For simplicity ofdiscussion, FIG. 2A depicts a UE 206 and one eNodeB 208 a in a RAN 202and one HRPD BTS 208 b in another RAN 204; however, it is to beappreciated that each RAN 202 or 204 may include any number of UEsand/or eNodeBs/HRPD BTSs. In addition, it is to be appreciated thatadditional RANs may be included, such as UTRA, GSM, EDGE, and so forth.

In accordance with one aspect, the eNodeB 208 a and HRPD BTS 208 b maytransmit information to a UE 206 over a forward link or downlink channeland a UE 206 can transmit information to the eNodeB 208 a and HRPD BTS209 b over a reverse link or uplink channel. As shown, RANs can utilizeany suitable type of radio access technology such as, but not limitedto, LTE, LTE Advanced, HSPA, CDMA, HRPD, eHRPD, CDMA2000, GSM, GPRS,EDGE, UMTS, or the like.

The RANs 202 and 204, and specifically the eNodeB 208 a and HRPD BTS 208b, can communicate with a core network (e.g., an evolved packet core(EPC) network) that enables charging (e.g., usage charges for services,etc.), security (e.g., ciphering and integrity protection), subscribermanagement, mobility management, bearer management, QoS handling, policycontrol of data flows, and/or interconnections with external networks.The RANs 202 and 204 and core network can communicate via an S1interface, for instance. The core network can include a mobilitymanagement entity (MME) 216 that can be an end-point for controlsignaling from the RAN 202 or 204. The MME 216 can provide functionssuch as mobility management (e.g., tracking), authentication, andsecurity. The MME 216 can communicate with the RANs 202 and 204 via theS1. The core network can also include a serving gateway (S-GW) 210 whichis a user plane node that connects the core network to the LTE RAN 202.The core network may also include a HRPD serving gateway (HSGW) 214which connects the core network to the eHRPD RAN 204. The eHRDP RAN 204also includes an evolved access node (eAN) and an evolved packet controlfunction (ePCF) entity 212 which manages the relay of packets betweenthe HRPD BTS 208 b and the HSGW 214.

Furthermore, the HSGW 214 and the S-GW 210 may communicate to facilitateinteroperability between the eHRPD RAN 204 and the EPC. In anotheraspect, the MME 216 and S-GW 210 can be configured as a single node toprovide a single end-point for user and control signaling originatingfrom a RAN and/or terminating at a RAN. The network may also include apolicy and charging rules function (PCRF) 230. The PCRF 230 maycommunicate with the S-GW 210, the HSGW 214, a PDN-GW 218 and the corenetwork.

The core network can also include a packet data network gateway (PDN-GW)218 that facilitates communications between the core network (and theRANs 202 and 204) and external networks. The PDN-GW 218 can providepacket filtering, QoS policing, charging, IP address allocation, androuting of traffic to external networks. In an example, the S-GW 210 andthe PDN-GW 218 can communicate via an S5 interface. While illustrated asseparate nodes in FIG. 2A, it is to be appreciated that the S-GW 210 andPDN-GW 218, for example, can be configured to operate as a singlenetwork node to reduce user plane nodes in core network. In one aspect,the core network may also include a 3GPP authentication, authorizationand accounting (AAA) server/proxy 234 and a 3GPP2 AAA server/proxy 236which may communicate with each other and further communicate with thePDN-GW 218 and the HSGW 214 respectfully. The core network may alsoinclude a home subscriber services (HSS) entity 232 which maycommunicate with the MME 216 and the 3GPP AAA server/proxy 234. In someimplementations, the path between the PDN-GW 218 and the UE 206 may bereferred to as a packet data network (PDN) connection. A PDN connectionmay be identified by one or more network (e.g., IP) addresses.

The core network can communicate with external networks via the PDN-GW218. The external networks, not shown, can include networks such as, butnot limited to, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), an IPmultimedia subsystem (IMS), a packet switch stream (PSS), and/or an IPnetwork. The IP network can be the Internet, a local area network, awide area network, an intranet, or the like. It should be appreciatedthat configuration shown in FIG. 2A is an example of just one possibleconfiguration and many other configurations and additional componentsmay be used in accordance with various aspects and implementationsdescribed below.

FIG. 2B illustrates another example of a functional block diagram ofcertain communication entities of the wireless communication network ofFIG. 1. The components shown in FIG. 2B illustrate a system in which amultimode or multiband device may access one or more services of a corenetwork using a trusted or untrusted non-3GPP IP access network (e.g., awireless local area network (WLAN)) that is in communication with thecore network. As FIG. 2B illustrates, the system may include a homepublic land mobile network (HPLMN) and non-3GPP networks. The HPLMN mayrepresent a core network. The non-3GPP networks may include any networksother than 3GPP networks that allow for communications between a STA(e.g., STA 106) and an AP (e.g., AP 104). As an example, a trustednon-3GPP network, such as trusted non-3GPP IP access network 240, mayinclude a Wi-Fi hotspot operated by the carrier or operator. Anon-trusted non-3GPP network, such as untrusted non-3GPP IP accessnetwork 242, may include a home Wi-Fi network, a work Wi-Fi network, orany other wireless access point that is not operated by the carrier oroperator.

In some embodiments, the UE 206 may access the core network services viathe trusted non-3GPP IP access network 240 or the untrusted non-3GPP IPaccess network 242. The trusted non-3GPP IP access network 240 or theuntrusted non-3GPP IP access network 242 may transmit information to aUE 206 over a forward link or downlink channel and a UE 206 may transmitinformation to the trusted non-3GPP IP access network 240 or theuntrusted non-3GPP IP access network 242 over a reverse link or uplinkchannel. In other embodiments, the UE 206 may access the core networkservices via a RAN, such as via the eNodeB 208 a as illustrated in FIG.2A. In further embodiments, the UE 206 may concurrently access a corenetwork service via the trusted non-3GPP IP access network 240 or theuntrusted non-3GPP IP access network 242 and another core networkservice via the eNodeB 208 a.

In an embodiment, the trusted non-3GPP IP access network 240 and thePDN-GW 218 can communicate via an S2a interface (e.g., S2a-basedmobility over GTP (SaMOG)). In some embodiments, the trusted non-3GPP IPaccess network 240 includes an AP that communicates with the UE 206 anda trusted wireless access gateway (TWAG) that communicates with the corenetwork (e.g., with the PDN-GW 218). The AP and the TWAG may be incommunication with each other (e.g., via a tunneled connection) to relaydata between the UE 206 and the core network.

In an embodiment, the untrusted non-3GPP IP access network 242 and thePDN-GW 218 communicate via an evolved packet data gateway (ePDG) 244.Because the non-3GPP IP access network is untrusted, the ePDG 244 may beconfigured to secure a data transmission to and from the UE 206. TheePDG 244 and the PDN-GW 218 may communicate via an S2b interface.

In other embodiments, not shown, the UE 206 may communicate directlywith the PDN-GW 218 via an S2c interface. The S2c interface may providea tunneled connection between the UE 206 and the PDN-GW 218. Thetunneled connection may be provided via the trusted non-3GPP IP accessnetwork 240 or via the untrusted non-3GPP IP access network 242 and theePDG 244.

As described above with respect to FIG. 2A, the PDN-GW 218 may be incommunication with internal and/or external networks. For example, thePDN-GW 218 may be in communication with the S-GW 210 and/or theoperator's IP services 246. The S-GW 210 may provide access to the 3GPPaccess 238. The operator's IP services 246 may include networks such as,but not limited to, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), an IPmultimedia subsystem (IMS), a packet switch stream (PSS), and/or an IPnetwork. The IP network can be the Internet, a local area network, awide area network, an intranet, or the like.

It should be appreciated that configuration shown in FIG. 2B is anexample of just one possible configuration and many other configurationsand additional components may be used in accordance with various aspectsand implementations described below.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a functional block diagram of awireless device that may be employed within the wireless communicationnetwork of FIG. 1. The wireless device 302 is an example of a devicethat may be configured to implement the various methods describedherein. For example, the wireless device 302 can comprise a STA, a UE,an AT, a subscriber station, a subscriber unit, a mobile station, aremote station, a remote terminal, a user terminal, a user agent, a userdevice, etc. As another example, the wireless device 302 may bemultimode or multiband device, capable of operating using differentradio access technologies (RATs), such as using LTE, LTE Advanced, HSPA,CDMA, HRPD, eHRPD, CDMA2000, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, or the like.

The wireless device 302 may include a processor 304 which controlsoperation of the wireless device 302. The processor 304 may also bereferred to as a central processing unit (CPU). Memory 306, which mayinclude both read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM),provides instructions and data to the processor 304. A portion of thememory 306 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM).The processor 304 typically performs logical and arithmetic operationsbased on program instructions stored within the memory 306. Theinstructions in the memory 306 may be executable to implement themethods described herein.

The data in memory 306 may include configuration data. Configurationdata may be preloaded into the memory 306. Configuration data may beobtained from a user of the wireless device 302 (e.g., through aninterface 322, SIM card, download, over the air). The processor 304 mayperform logical and arithmetic operations further based on theconfiguration data.

In some aspects, the processor 304 is configured to cause signals to besent and receive signals from another device (e.g., AP 104, STA 106,etc.). The signals may include connection signals indicating the type ofconnection that may be used for a particular transmission for the device302.

For example, in some implementations, the device 302 may be configuredto transmit/receive small packets of data. Based on the transmissioncharacteristic information, the processor 304 may cause transmission ofa signal indicating the use of a common connection for transmitting suchsmall packets. When the device 302 is implemented as an AP 104, thesignal may be generated, for example, by a packet data serving node forone or more previously registered devices or a class of devices. Themethods of AP 104 driven selection are described in further detailbelow. When the device 302 is implemented as an STA 106, the signal maybe generated prior to or during the link control protocol requestingprocedures. The methods of STA 106 driven selection are described infurther detail below.

In some implementations such as when wireless device 302 is implementedas an AP, the processor 304 may be configured to enforce the accesspermissions. For example, if a device indicated as not permitted toaccess the AP attempts to acquire an unavailable data communicationpathway, the processor 304 may cause the acquisition to fail.

The processor 304 may comprise or be a component of a processing systemimplemented with one or more processors. The one or more processors maybe implemented with any combination of general-purpose microprocessors,microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmablegate array (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers,state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware components, dedicatedhardware finite state machines, or any other suitable entities that canperform calculations or other manipulations of information.

The processing system may also include machine-readable media forstoring software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean any typeof instructions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware,microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Instructions mayinclude code (e.g., in source code format, binary code format,executable code format, or any other suitable format of code). Theinstructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause theprocessing system to perform the various functions described herein.

The wireless device 302 may also include a housing 308 that includes thetransmitter 310 and/or the receiver 312 to allow transmission andreception of data between the wireless device 302 and a remote location.As alluded to above, the transmitter 310 may be configured to wirelesslytransmit status information. Further, the receiver 312 may be configuredto wirelessly receive user data. The transmitter 310 and receiver 312may be combined into a transceiver 314. An antenna 316 may be attachedto the housing 308 and electrically coupled to the transceiver 314. Thewireless device 302 may also include (not shown) multiple transmitters,multiple receivers, multiple transceivers, and/or multiple antennas.

The wireless device 302 may also include a signal detector 318 that maybe used to detect and quantify the level of signals received by thetransceiver 314. The signal detector 318 may detect such signals astotal energy, energy per subcarrier per symbol, power spectral density,and other signals. The wireless device 302 may also include a digitalsignal processor (DSP) 320 for use in processing signals. The DSP 320may be configured to generate a packet for transmission and/or process areceived packet.

In some aspects, the wireless device 302 may further comprise a userinterface 322. The user interface 322 may comprise a keypad, amicrophone, a speaker, and/or a display. The user interface 322 mayinclude any element or component that conveys information to a user ofthe wireless device 302 and/or receives input from the user.

The wireless device 302 may include a traffic analyzer 324. The trafficanalyzer 324 may be configured to generate one or more values indicatinga characteristic of data to be transmitted. For example, the wirelessdevice may be a smart utility meter. A meter reading may be generated,for example, by the processor 304. Prior to transmission, the trafficanalyzer 324 may determine a characteristic of the meter reading to betransmitted. The traffic analyzer 324 may generate a value indicatingthe quantity of data to be transmitted. For example, the trafficanalyzer 324 may determine the number of bytes to be transmitted. Thetraffic analyzer 324 may be configured to determine how frequently themeter readings are transmitted. For example the traffic analyzer 324 maytrack a history of meter readings over time. The traffic analyzer 324may then generate a value indicating how often data is transmitted. Thetraffic analyzer 324 may be configured to detect a type of data to betransmitted. For example, a smart meter reading may include a few bitesof integer data. In other applications, the data to be transmitted maybe audio, video, or multimedia data. The type of data may also indicatethe importance of the information. For example, in a cellular devicewhich is included in an automobile, routine maintenance information maybe considered low importance while an indication of a traffic accident(E.G., airbag deployed) may be more critical. The traffic analyzer 324may be configured to identify an application generating the data to betransmitted. A wireless device 302 may include one or more applicationswhich may generate and or receive data. By identifying the applicationassociated with the data, the traffic may be analyzed.

The values generated by the traffic analyzer 324 may be stored in thememory 306. The values may be accessed by a pathway selector 325. Thepathway selector may be configured to select a communication pathway forthe data to be transmitted. In some implementations, the pathwayselector 325 may be configured to select between a common datacommunication pathway and a dedicated data communication pathway. Thepathway selector 325 may be configured to compare one or morecharacteristics provided by the traffic analyzer 324 to select theappropriate data communication pathway. For example, the pathwayselector 325 may be configured to select the common data communicationpathway if the number of bytes to be transmitted is less than apredetermined threshold. The threshold may correspond to a relativelysmall data transmission. The threshold may be provided by the networkoperator. For example, the threshold may be provisioned over the air viasignaling with the network. The threshold may be stored in the memory306 or dynamically determined based on one or more characteristics ofthe device, the network, or the like. In some implementations, thepathway selector 325 may be configured to compare a characteristic ofthe data to a range. If the characteristic value falls within the range,an appropriate selection may be made. As with the threshold, the rangemay be provisioned in a variety of ways.

The pathway selector 325 may be configured to select a datacommunication pathway by signaling via the network. The pathway selector325 may be configured to select a data communication pathway from anSTA. The pathway selector 325 may be configured to select a datacommunication pathway from a non-STA network component such as an accesspoint, a RAN, or a PDSN. The pathway selector 325 may be configured toselect a data communication pathway from a STA to an external networkaccessible by the STA. In some embodiments, the external network may bespecified by an access point name (APN). The pathway selector 325 may beconfigured to select a data communication pathway through one or more ofthe call flows described in further detail below.

The various components of the wireless device 202 may be coupledtogether by a bus system 326. The bus system 326 may include a data bus,for example, as well as a power bus, a control signal bus, and a statussignal bus in addition to the data bus. Those of skill in the art willappreciate the components of the wireless device 302 may be coupledtogether or accept or provide inputs to each other using some othermechanism.

Although a number of separate components are illustrated in FIG. 3,those of skill in the art will recognize that one or more of thecomponents may be combined or commonly implemented. For example, theprocessor 304 may be used to implement not only the functionalitydescribed above with respect to the processor 304, but also to implementthe functionality described above with respect to the signal detector318 and/or the DSP 320. Further, each of the components illustrated inFIG. 3 may be implemented using a plurality of separate elements. Forexample, the processor 304 and the memory 306 may be embodied on asingle chip. The processor 304 may additionally, or in the alternative,contain memory, such as processor registers. Similarly, one or more ofthe functional blocks or portions of the functionality of various blocksmay be embodied on a single chip. Alternatively, the functionality of aparticular block may be implemented on two or more chips.

In this specification and the appended claims, it should be clear thatthe terms “circuit” and “circuitry” are construed as a structural termsand not as functional terms. For example, circuitry can be an aggregateof circuit components, such as a multiplicity of integrated circuitcomponents, in the form of processing and/or memory cells, units,blocks, and the like, such as shown and described in FIG. 3. One or moreof the functional blocks and/or one or more combinations of thefunctional blocks described with respect to the wireless device 302 mayalso be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., acombination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality ofmicroprocessors, one or more microprocessor in conjunction with a DSPcommunication, or any other such configuration.

In some wireless cellular systems, capacity and/or bandwidth may belimited. For example, in densely populated areas or when a large numberof subscribers congregate in a single area, the number of subscribersand/or the amount of data being transmitted over the system may causedropped calls, slower transmission rates, and/or a poorer userexperience. Accordingly, operators may offload some or all of the datato a wireless local area network (WLAN) to extend the capacity of thewireless cellular system and provide a better user experience. Thisprocess may be called WLAN offload.

In an embodiment, the operator may use the WLAN to access the corenetwork (e.g., the EPC network) and maintain connectivity when switchingbetween a WLAN and a RAN (e.g., a wireless wide area network (WWAN)). Insome cases, the operator may support multiple PDN connections over WLANand WWAN, which is known as multiple access PDN connectivity (MAPCON).

In some embodiments, as described above with respect to FIG. 2B, a UEconnects with a WLAN, which connects with the core network. Generally,the core network provides a virtual connection between a UE and a PDN-GWbefore any traffic is transmitted between them. The virtual connectionmay be called an evolved packet system (EPS) bearer.

In some aspects, the EPS bearer provides a transport service withspecific quality of service (QoS) attributes. The EPS bearer may includea QoS class index (QCI), which describes the type of service using thevirtual connection (e.g., voice, video, signaling, etc.), a guaranteedbitrate (GBR) for the traffic that flows through the connection, amaximum bitrate (MBR) for the traffic that flows through the connection,and/or a filter specification that indicates the traffic flows (e.g., interms of IP addresses, protocols, port numbers, etc.) supported by thevirtual connection between the UE and the PDN-GW. In an embodiment, theQCI may further include other QoS attributes, such as maximum delay,residual error rate, and the like.

In an embodiment, a procedure used to establish a bearer is calledbearer activation. Bearer activation may be initiated by the UE, the AP,the trusted or untrusted wireless access gateway, the PDN-GW, and/or anydevice in the core network.

While bearer establishment and modification procedures have been definedfor RAN or WWAN connections, bearer establishment and modificationprocedures have not been defined when a UE interfaces with the PDN-GWvia a trusted or untrusted non-3GPP IP access network (e.g., during WLANoffload). Thus, the UE may be unaware of the specific QoS attributesdefined by the accessed service. Packets between the trusted oruntrusted non-3GPP IP access network and the PDN-GW may be transmittedaccording to the appropriate QoS parameters, but packets between the UEand the trusted or untrusted non-3GPP IP access network may not betransmitted according to the appropriate QoS parameters.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary call flow diagram of a bearer activationprocedure. The call flow diagram shown in FIG. 4 includes some of theentities which may be included in a wireless communication systemaccording to the described systems and methods. The entities shown inFIG. 4 include a UE 402, an AP 404, a trusted wireless access gateway(TWAG) 406, a PDN-GW 410, a PCRF 412, and an HSS/AAA 414. In someembodiments, not shown, the TWAG 406 may be replaced by an untrustedwireless access gateway. The procedures as described herein may besimilar if the untrusted wireless access gateway replaces the TWAG 406.

The AP 404 and the TWAG 406 may together represent a trusted wirelessarea network (TWAN) 408. As described above, the AP 404 may communicatedirectly with the UE 402. The TWAG 406 may communicate directly with thecore network (e.g., PDN-GW 410). The AP 404 and the TWAG 406 may be incommunication with each other via a connection, such as a tunneledconnection. In other embodiments, the AP 404 may communicate directlywith the core network and/or the TWAG 406 may communicate directly withthe UE 402.

Transmissions 416 represent the signals that may be transmitted to andfrom the UE 402, the AP 404, and/or the TWAG 406 for WLAN discovery andselection. For example, the signals of transmissions 416 may betransmitted so that the UE 402 can select an AP. Transmissions 418represent the signals that may be transmitted to and from any or all ofthe entities shown in FIG. 4 for the initial attach of the UE 402 to thecore network. In an embodiment, the transmissions 418 may also includesignals transmitted between the entities for extensible authenticationprotocol (EAP) authentication.

Transmissions 420 represent the signal that may be transmitted to andfrom the UE 402 and the TWAG 406 to establish a PDN connection. Itshould be appreciated that the signals may be transmitted directly toand from the UE 402 and the TWAG 406, or via another entity, such as theAP 404. The UE 402 may attempt to establish a PDN connection to accessone or more services provided available through the core network (e.g.,the operator's IP services). Once the appropriate signals have beentransmitted to and from the UE 402 and the TWAG 406, transmissions 422may be sent to and from the TWAG 406 and the PDN-GW 410 to continueestablishing the PDN connection.

Once transmissions 422 are complete, transmissions 424 may betransmitted to and from the PDN-GW 410 and the PCRF 412 for IPconnectivity access network (IP-CAN) session establishment and/ormodification. Establishing an IP-CAN session may provide IP connectivitywithin the core network and more particularly for a service to beprovided by the core network. For example, the establishment of anIP-CAN session may create an association between the UE 402 (e.g.,represented as an IP address) and a PDN (e.g., represented as an accesspoint name (APN)).

Once the IP-CAN session has been established and/or modified, signal 426may be transmitted from the PCRF 412 to the PDN-GW 410 indicating thatthe session has been established and/or modified. The signal 426 mayinclude the QoS attributes of the service that the UE will access and/orinformation that can be used to generate the appropriate QoS attributes.The PDN-GW 410 may be configured to generate a create bearer request,which includes the QoS attributes for the service available through thecore network and that will be accessed by the UE 402. The create bearerrequest may be transmitted to the TWAG 406, as illustrated by signal428.

The TWAG 406 may receive the signal 428 and forward the contents of thesignal 428 to the AP 404 as a bearer setup request signal 430. Forexample, the signal 430 may include the QoS attributes for the serviceavailable through the core network. In further embodiments, the signal430 may include a traffic flow template (TFT). As discussed below, theTFT may be used to filter packets to be transmitted. The bearer setuprequest signal 430 may be transmitted to establish the bearer proceduresfor WLAN communications.

In an embodiment, the AP 404 maps one or more of the QoS attributes toone or more traffic management parameters supported by a WLAN at block432. As an example, QoS over WLAN can be supported using EnhancedDistributed Channel Access (EDCA), which is defined in the IEEE 802.11eprotocol. EDCA may define traffic priorities called access categories.For example, access categories may define a minimum contention window(CW) value, a maximum CW value, and/or an arbitration inter-frame space(AIFS) for accessing a medium. Traffic with higher priority may have ashorter CW and a shorter AIFS. Accordingly, the AP 404 may map one ormore of the QoS attributes to one or more access categories.

In an embodiment, one or more access categories may be transmitted tothe UE 402 in a WLAN bearer configuration signal 434. In someembodiments, the signal 434 may also include the TFT. During subsequentcommunications, the UE 402 may filter packets based on the TFT andaccess the medium based on the one or more access categories. Likewise,the AP 404 may filter packets based on the TFT and access the mediumbased on the one or more access categories.

The UE 402 may acknowledge that it has received the signal 434 via aWLAN bearer configuration complete signal 436. Once the AP 404 receivessignal 436, the AP 404 may transmit an acknowledgement to the TWAG 406indicating that the bearer setup is complete via the bearer setupresponse signal 438. Likewise, the TWAG 406 may transmit the createbearer response signal 440 to the PDN-GW 410 acknowledging that thebearer has been established and the PDN-GW 410 may transmit the IP-CANsession establishment/modification signal 442 acknowledging that theIP-CAN session has been established or modified.

FIG. 5 illustrates another exemplary call flow diagram of a beareractivation procedure. The entities shown in FIG. 5 are similar to thoseshown in FIG. 4. The procedure illustrated in FIG. 5 is also similar tothe procedure illustrated in FIG. 4. However, as illustrated in FIG. 5,the TWAG 406, not the AP 404, is configured to map one or more QoSattributes to one or more access categories.

As described above, the TWAG 406 may receive the signal 428, whichincludes a create bearer request. Upon receiving the signal 428, theTWAG 406 may map one or more QoS attributes to one or more accesscategories defined by EDCA at block 532. Once complete, the TWAG 406 maytransmit a bearer setup request signal 530 to the UE 402. The bearersetup request signal 530 may include one or more access categories andthe TFT. As described above, the UE 402 may filter packets based on theTFT and access the medium based on the one or more access categories.

In an embodiment, the TWAG 406 may also transmit a WLAN bearerconfiguration signal 534 to the AP 404. The WLAN bearer configurationsignal 534 may include one or more access categories and the TFT. Asdescribed above, the AP 404 may filter packets based on the TFT andaccess the medium based on the one or more access categories.

In response to the transmission of the WLAN bearer configuration signal534, the TWAG 406 may receive an acknowledgment from the AP 404 in theform of WLAN bearer configuration complete signal 536. Likewise, inresponse to the transmission of the bearer setup request signal 530, theTWAG 406 may receive an acknowledgment from the UE 402 in the form ofbearer setup response 538. While FIG. 5 illustrates the TWAG 406receiving signal 538 after signal 536, the signals may be received inany order. Furthermore, while FIG. 5 illustrates the TWAG 406transmitting signal 534 after signal 530, the signals may be transmittedin any order.

In an embodiment, once the TWAG 406 receives the signal 536 and/or thesignal 538, the TWAG 406 may transmit the create bearer response signal440, as described above with respect to FIG. 4. The PDN-GW 410 mayreceive the signal 440 and transmit the IP-CANestablishment/modification signal 442 to the PCRF 412.

FIG. 6 illustrates another exemplary call flow diagram of a beareractivation procedure. The entities shown in FIG. 6 are similar to thoseshown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The procedure illustrated in FIG. 6 is alsosimilar to the procedures illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. However, asillustrated in FIG. 6, the UE 402, not the AP 404 or the TWAG 406, isconfigured to perform the appropriate mapping.

As described above, the TWAG 406 may receive the signal 428, whichincludes a create bearer request. Upon receiving the signal 428, theTWAG 406 may transmit a bearer setup request signal 630 to the UE 402.The bearer setup request signal 630 may be similar to the bearer setuprequest signal 430. For example, the signal 630 may include the QoSattributes for the service available through the core network and/or aTFT.

In some embodiments, if the WLAN supports the use of trafficspecification (TSPEC) admission control, the UE 402 may perform themapping. The TSPEC admission control procedure may be defined in theIEEE 802.11e protocol. Under the TSPEC admission control procedure, theUE 402 requests medium time from the AP 404 for a traffic stream byproviding traffic management parameters (e.g., a TSPEC). The TSPEC mayinclude a medium access control service data unit (MSDU) size, a minimumdata rate, a mean data rate, a peak data rate, a burst size, and/orsimilar data. As illustrated in FIG. 6 at block 632, the UE 402 may mapone or more QoS attributes to a TSPEC.

Once complete, the UE 402 may transmit an AddTS request signal 634 tothe AP 404. The signal 634 may be a request by the UE 402 to reserveresources for the bearer (e.g., reserve resources for a traffic streamdefined by the TSPEC). The AP 404 may respond with an AddTS responsesignal 636, which may indicate whether the request to reserve resourcesfor the bearer has been accepted or denied.

In an embodiment, the UE 402 transmits a bearer setup response signal638 to the TWAG 406. The UE 402 may transmit the signal 638 in responseto receiving the signal 636. Once the TWAG 406 receives the signal 638,the TWAG 406 may transmit the create bearer response signal 440, asdescribed above with respect to FIG. 4. The PDN-GW 410 may receive thesignal 440 and transmit the IP-CAN establishment/modification signal 442to the PCRF 412.

In some embodiments, a UE, such as the UE 206, may have a PDN connectionvia a non-3GPP IP access network (e.g., over WLAN). The UE 206 may havea PDN connection to an external network via the core network. An accesspoint name (APN) may identify an external network and determine how theUE 206 communicates with the external network via the core network. Forexample, the APN may determine an IP address, security protocols,network connections, and the like. As an example, the UE 206 may have aPDN connection to a first APN over WLAN.

As described above, the operator or carrier may support multiple PDNconnections, including concurrent PDN connections over WLAN and WWAN(e.g., a RAN that uses any type of RAT, such as LTE, LTE Advanced,etc.). This is known as multiple access PDN connectivity (MAPCON). Thus,if the UE 206 currently has a PDN connection over WLAN, the UE 206 mayadd another PDN connection over WWAN. The operator or carrier mayidentify a particular APN to use when the UE 206 attaches to the corenetwork (e.g., when the UE 206 performs LTE attach). Conflicts mayoccur, however, if a policy of the UE 206 (e.g., a policy of anapplication that is executed on the UE 206) indicates that the PDNconnection to the first APN stays over WLAN, but the operator or carrierindicates that the PDN connection to the first APN must be over WWAN.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary call flow diagram that resolves theMAPCON conflict described above. The call flow diagram shown in FIG. 7includes some of the entities which may be included in a wirelesscommunication system according to the described systems and methods. Theentities shown in FIG. 7 include a UE 402, an eNodeB 704, a MME/S-GW706, a TWAN 708, a PDN-GW 710, and an HSS/PCRF 712. In some embodiments,not shown, additional PDN-GWs may be included in the wirelesscommunication system. Each PDN-GW may indicate the existence of adifferent PDN connection. A single PDN-GW may also handle multiple PDNconnections.

Transmissions 714 represent the signals that may be transmitted to andfrom the UE 402, the TWAN 708, the one or more PDN-GWs 710, and/or theHSS/PCRF 712. The signals of transmissions 714 may be sent to allow theUE 402 to attach to a trusted WLAN access network, such as the TWAN 708,via an S2a interface. The signals of transmissions 714 may initiate aPDN connection to a first APN (e.g., APN1) and a second APN (e.g.,APN2).

Transmissions 716 represent the signals that may be transmitted to andfrom the UE 402 and the eNodeB 704 to acquire an evolved universalterrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN). The E-UTRAN may be a type ofRAN that provides an interface between a UE and an eNodeB. The UE 402may acquire the E-UTRAN to initiate a PDN connection over WWAN (e.g., toinitiate the LTE attach procedure).

In an embodiment, the UE 402 may determine or the operator or carriermay provide information that the UE 402 should use APN1 to attach to theE-UTRAN. On the other hand, the UE 402 has a PDN connection to APN1 overWLAN, and the UE 402 may determine or the operator or carrier mayprovide information that the UE 402 should connect to APN1 via WLAN.Thus, a conflict may arise. The conflict may be resolved in one ofseveral ways.

In a first embodiment for resolving the conflict, the UE 402 may notindicate an APN during the attach procedure. Instead, the UE 402 mayallow the core network to determine the APN that the UE 402 shouldconnect to during the attach procedure. The UE 402 may then connect tothe APN determined by the core network over WWAN. After the UE 402completes the attach procedure, the UE 402 may transmit a request toconnect to the APN requested by an application of the UE 402 over WWAN.

An example of the first embodiment is illustrated by signals 718A, 720A,and 722. In an embodiment, the UE 402 and the MME/S-GW 706 maycommunicate via the LTE handover attach signal 718A. The signal 718A maynot include an indication of an APN to use during the attach procedure(e.g., signal 718A may include a null APN parameter). The MME/S-GW 706and the HSS/PCRF 712 may communicate via the LTE handover attach signal720A. The signal 720A may include data similar to the data included insignal 718A.

After attaching to E-UTRAN, the UE 402 may initiate the establishment ofa PDN connection to an APN that is not the APN the network identifies asthe attach APN via signal 722. This PDN connection may be over WWAN.

In a second embodiment for resolving the conflict, the policy of the UE402 may determine which APN should be used to attach to the corenetwork. The UE 402 may then connect to the determined APN over WWAN. Insome embodiments, this embodiment may require the core network to allowsome or all APNs to be used during the attach procedure.

An example of the second embodiment is illustrated by signals 718B and720B. In an embodiment, the UE 402 and the MME/S-GW 706 may communicatevia the LTE attach signal 718B. The signal 718B may include anindication of an APN that will be used during the attach procedure. TheAPN may be determined by the UE 402. The MME/S-GW 706 and the HSS/PCRF712 may communicate via the LTE handover attach signal 720B. The signal720B may include data similar to the data included in signal 718B.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process 800 for accessing a service of awireless carrier network through a wireless local area network (WLAN).At block 802, the process 800 selects one or more traffic managementparameters associated with the WLAN based at least in part on one ormore quality of service (QoS) parameters associated with the service ofthe wireless carrier network being accessed. In an embodiment, the oneor more traffic management parameters may include one or more accesscategories. For example, the QoS parameters associated with the serviceof the carrier network may be mapped to one or more of the accesscategories. In some embodiments, an AP, such as the AP 404, may performthe mapping. In other embodiments, a TWAG, such as the TWAG 406, mayperform the mapping. In another embodiment, the one or more trafficmanagement parameters may include a traffic specification (TSPEC). Forexample, the QoS parameters associated with the service of the wirelesscarrier network may be mapped to the TSPEC by a UE, such as the UE 402.

At block 804, the process 800 transmits packets over the WLAN using theselected one or more traffic management parameters associated with theWLAN when a UE accesses the service of the carrier network through theWLAN. In an embodiment, the UE enforces the selected one or more trafficmanagement parameters for communications to the wireless carriernetwork. An AP may enforce the selected one or more traffic managementparameters for communications to the UE over a radio link.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary device 900 that maybe employed within the wireless communication network 100. As anexample, the device 900 may be a UE, such as the UE 206 of FIGS. 2A-B,an AP, such as the AP 404 of FIG. 4, or a trusted or untrusted wirelessaccess gateway, such as the TWAG 406 of FIG. 4. The device 900 includesmeans 902 for selecting one or more traffic management parametersassociated with the WLAN based at least in part on one or more qualityof service (QoS) parameters associated with the service of the wirelesscarrier network being accessed. In an embodiment, means 902 forselecting one or more traffic management parameters associated with theWLAN based at least in part on one or more quality of service (QoS)parameters associated with the service of the wireless carrier networkbeing accessed may be configured to perform one or more of the functionsdiscussed above with respect to block 802. The device 900 furtherincludes means 904 for transmitting packets over the WLAN using theselected one or more traffic management parameters associated with theWLAN when a UE accesses the service of the wireless carrier networkthrough the WLAN. In an embodiment, means 904 for transmitting packetsover the WLAN using the selected one or more traffic managementparameters associated with the WLAN when a UE accesses the service ofthe wireless carrier network through the WLAN may be configured toperform one or more of the functions discussed above with respect toblock 804.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a process 1000 for establishing a datacommunication pathway between network elements. At block 1002, theprocess 1000 connects to a first access point name (APN) based on apolicy of a UE. In an embodiment, the first APN establishes a connectionbetween the UE and a packet data network gateway (PDN-GW) via a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN).

At block 1004, the process 1000 determines to connect to a second APNvia a carrier cellular network after the UE selects the carrier cellularnetwork. In an embodiment, the carrier cellular network is an LTEnetwork. At block 1006, the process 1000 detects that the connection tothe first APN is required to stay over the WLAN.

At block 1008, the process 1000 detects a conflict that the first APN isan attach APN according to the carrier cellular network. At block 1010,the process 1000 transmits an attach request to attach to the carriercellular network after detecting the conflict that the connection to thefirst APN is required to stay over the WLAN. In an embodiment, theattach request indicates NULL as the attach APN. At block 1012, theprocess 1000 receives an attach response from the carrier core networkthat identifies an APN used during an attach to the carrier cellularnetwork. In an embodiment, the APN used during the attach to the carriercellular network is the first APN. In another embodiment, the APN usedduring the attach to the carrier cellular network is the second APN. Atblock 1014, the process 1000 connects to the APN that the carriercellular network identified in the attach response over the carriercellular network. At block 1016, the process 1000 connects to the secondAPN over the carrier cellular network if not yet connected to the secondAPN.

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary device 1100 thatmay be employed within the wireless communication network 100. As anexample, the device 1100 may be a UE, such as the UE 206 of FIGS. 2A-B.The device 1100 includes means 1102 for connecting to a first accesspoint name (APN) based on a policy of a UE. In an embodiment, means 1102for connecting to a first access point name (APN) based on a policy of aUE be configured to perform one or more of the functions discussed abovewith respect to block 1002. The device 1100 further includes means 1104for determining to connect to a second APN via a carrier cellularnetwork after the UE selects the carrier cellular network. In anembodiment, means 1104 for determining to connect to a second APN via acarrier cellular network after the UE selects the carrier cellularnetwork may be configured to perform one or more of the functionsdiscussed above with respect to block 1004. The device 1100 furtherincludes means 1106 for detecting that the connection to the first APNis required to stay over the WLAN. In an embodiment, means 1106 fordetecting that the connection to the first APN is required to stay overthe WLAN may be configured to perform one or more of the functionsdiscussed above with respect to block 1006.

The device 1100 further includes means 1108 for detecting a conflictthat the first APN is an attach APN according to the carrier cellularnetwork. In an embodiment, means 1108 for detecting a conflict that thefirst APN is an attach APN according to the carrier cellular network maybe configured to perform one or more of the functions discussed abovewith respect to block 1008. The device 1100 further includes means 1110for transmitting an attach request to attach to the carrier cellularnetwork after detecting the conflict that the connection to the firstAPN is required to stay over the WLAN. In an embodiment, means 1110 fortransmitting an attach request to attach to the carrier cellular networkafter detecting the conflict that the connection to the first APN isrequired to stay over the WLAN may be configured to perform one or moreof the functions discussed above with respect to block 1010. The device1100 further includes means 1112 for receiving an attach response fromthe carrier core network that identifies an APN used during an attach tothe carrier cellular network. In an embodiment, means 1112 for receivingan attach response from the carrier core network that identifies an APNused during an attach to the carrier cellular network may be configuredto perform one or more of the functions discussed above with respect toblock 1012. The device 1100 further includes means 1114 for connectingto the APN that the carrier cellular network identified in the attachresponse over the carrier cellular network. In an embodiment, means 1114for connecting to the APN that the carrier cellular network identifiedin the attach response over the carrier cellular network may beconfigured to perform one or more of the functions discussed above withrespect to block 1014. The device 1100 further includes means 1116 forconnecting to the second APN over the carrier cellular network if notyet connected to the second APN. In an embodiment, means 1116 forconnecting to the second APN over the carrier cellular network if notyet connected to the second APN may be configured to perform one or moreof the functions discussed above with respect to block 1016.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a process 1200 for establishing a datacommunication pathway between network elements. At block 1202, theprocess 1200 connects to a first access point name (APN) based on apolicy of a UE. In an embodiment, the first APN establishes a connectionbetween the UE and a packet data network (PDN) via a wireless local areanetwork (WLAN).

At block 1204, the process 1200 determines to connect to a second APNover a carrier cellular network. In an embodiment, the carrier cellularnetwork is an LTE network. At block 1206, the process 1200 detects thatthe first APN is an attach APN according to the carrier cellularnetwork. At block 1208, the process 1200 detects a conflict that theconnection to the first APN is required to stay over the WLAN based onthe policy. At block 1210, the process 1200 transmits an attach requestto attach to the carrier cellular network after detecting the conflictthat the connection to the first APN is required to stay over the WLAN.In an embodiment, the attach request includes an indication that thesecond APN is the attach APN. At block 1212, the process 1200 attachesto the carrier cellular network using the second APN.

FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary device 1300 thatmay be employed within the wireless communication network 100. As anexample, the device 1300 may be a UE, such as the UE 206 of FIGS. 2A-B.The device 1300 includes means 1302 for connecting to a first accesspoint name (APN) based on a policy of a UE. In an embodiment, means 1302for connecting to a first access point name (APN) based on a policy of aUE be configured to perform one or more of the functions discussed abovewith respect to block 1202. The device 1300 further includes means 1304for determining to connect to a second APN over a carrier cellularnetwork. In an embodiment, means 1304 for determining to connect to asecond APN over a carrier cellular network may be configured to performone or more of the functions discussed above with respect to block 1204.The device 1300 further includes means 1306 for detecting that the firstAPN is an attach APN according to the carrier cellular network. In anembodiment, means 1306 for detecting that the first APN is an attach APNaccording to the carrier cellular network may be configured to performone or more of the functions discussed above with respect to block 1206.

The device 1300 further includes means 1308 for detecting a conflictthat the connection to the first APN is required to stay over the WLANbased on the policy. In an embodiment, means 1308 for detecting aconflict that the connection to the first APN is required to stay overthe WLAN based on the policy may be configured to perform one or more ofthe functions discussed above with respect to block 1208. The device1300 further includes means 1310 for transmitting an attach request toattach to the carrier cellular network after detecting the conflict thatthe connection to the first APN is required to stay over the WLAN. In anembodiment, means 1310 for transmitting an attach request to attach tothe carrier cellular network after detecting the conflict that theconnection to the first APN is required to stay over the WLAN may beconfigured to perform one or more of the functions discussed above withrespect to block 1210. The device 1300 further includes means 1312 forattaching to the carrier cellular network using the second APN. In anembodiment, means 1312 for attaching to the carrier cellular networkusing the second APN may be configured to perform one or more of thefunctions discussed above with respect to block 1212.

As used herein, the term “determining” encompasses a wide variety ofactions. For example, “determining” may include calculating, computing,processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in atable, a database or another data structure), ascertaining and the like.Also, “determining” may include receiving (e.g., receiving information),accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory) and the like. Also,“determining” may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishingand the like. Further, a “channel width” as used herein may encompass ormay also be referred to as a bandwidth in certain aspects.

As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of itemsrefers to any combination of those items, including single members. Asan example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a, b, c,a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c.

The various operations of methods described above may be performed byany suitable means capable of performing the operations, such as varioushardware and/or software component(s), circuits, and/or module(s).Generally, any operations illustrated in the Figures may be performed bycorresponding functional means capable of performing the operations.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits describedin connection with the present disclosure may be implemented orperformed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor(DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a fieldprogrammable gate array signal (FPGA) or other programmable logic device(PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware componentsor any combination thereof designed to perform the functions describedherein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any commercially available processor,controller, microcontroller or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented inhardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implementedin software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as oneor more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium.Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media andcommunication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of acomputer program from one place to another. A storage media may be anyavailable media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example,and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM,EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used tocarry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or datastructures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connectionis properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if thesoftware is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote sourceusing a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digitalsubscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio,and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair,DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave areincluded in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein,includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatiledisc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproducedata magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Thus, in some aspects computer readable medium may comprisenon-transitory computer readable medium (e.g., tangible media). Inaddition, in some aspects computer readable medium may comprisetransitory computer readable medium (e.g., a signal). Combinations ofthe above should also be included within the scope of computer-readablemedia.

The methods disclosed herein comprise one or more steps or actions forachieving the described method. The method steps and/or actions may beinterchanged with one another without departing from the scope of theclaims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions isspecified, the order and/or use of specific steps and/or actions may bemodified without departing from the scope of the claims.

The functions described may be implemented in hardware, software,firmware or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, thefunctions may be stored as one or more instructions on acomputer-readable medium. A storage media may be any available mediathat can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carryor store desired program code in the form of instructions or datastructures and that can be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, asused herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc,digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray® disc where disksusually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce dataoptically with lasers.

Thus, certain aspects may comprise a computer program product forperforming the operations presented herein. For example, such a computerprogram product may comprise a computer readable medium havinginstructions stored (and/or encoded) thereon, the instructions beingexecutable by one or more processors to perform the operations describedherein. For certain aspects, the computer program product may includepackaging material.

Software or instructions may also be transmitted over a transmissionmedium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website,server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologiessuch as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiberoptic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such asinfrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition oftransmission medium.

Further, it should be appreciated that modules and/or other appropriatemeans for performing the methods and techniques described herein can bedownloaded and/or otherwise obtained by a user terminal and/or basestation as applicable. For example, such a device can be coupled to aserver to facilitate the transfer of means for performing the methodsdescribed herein. Alternatively, various methods described herein can beprovided via storage means (e.g., RAM, ROM, a physical storage mediumsuch as a compact disc (CD) or floppy disk, etc.), such that a userterminal and/or base station can obtain the various methods uponcoupling or providing the storage means to the device. Moreover, anyother suitable technique for providing the methods and techniquesdescribed herein to a device can be utilized.

It is to be understood that the claims are not limited to the preciseconfiguration and components illustrated above. Various modifications,changes and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation anddetails of the methods and apparatus described above without departingfrom the scope of the claims.

While the foregoing is directed to aspects of the present disclosure,other and further aspects of the disclosure may be devised withoutdeparting from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof isdetermined by the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for accessing a service of a wirelesscarrier network through a wireless local area network (WLAN), the methodcomprising: selecting one or more traffic management parametersassociated with the WLAN based at least in part on one or more qualityof service (QoS) parameters associated with the service of the wirelesscarrier network being accessed; and transmitting packets over the WLANusing the selected one or more traffic management parameters associatedwith the WLAN when a user equipment accesses the service of the wirelesscarrier network through the WLAN, wherein the user equipment enforcesthe selected one or more traffic management parameters forcommunications to the wireless carrier network, and wherein an accesspoint enforces the selected one or more traffic management parametersfor communications to the user equipment over a radio link.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the access point, abearer setup request from a gateway, wherein the bearer setup requestcomprises the one or more QoS parameters; mapping, by the access point,the one or more QoS parameters to one or more traffic managementparameters, wherein the one or more traffic management parameterscomprise one or more access categories; transmitting a bearerconfiguration message to the user equipment, wherein the bearerconfiguration message comprises the one or more access categories;receiving a bearer configuration complete message from the userequipment; and transmitting a bearer setup response to the gateway. 3.The method of claim 2, wherein receiving a bearer setup requestcomprises receiving one or more evolved packet system (EPS) bearer QoSparameters and a traffic flow template.
 4. The method of claim 3,wherein the user equipment and the access point filter packets to betransmitted based on the traffic flow template and access a medium basedon the one or more access categories.
 5. The method of claim 3, whereinmapping the one or more QoS parameters to one or more access categoriescomprises mapping the one or more EPS bearer QoS parameters to one ormore enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) access categories. 6.The method of claim 2, wherein receiving a bearer setup request from agateway comprises receiving the bearer setup request from one of atrusted wireless access network or an untrusted wireless access network.7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by a gateway, acreate bearer request from the wireless carrier network, wherein thecreate bearer request comprises one or more QoS parameters; mapping, bythe gateway, the one or more QoS parameters to one or more trafficmanagement parameters, wherein the one or more traffic managementparameters comprise one or more access categories; transmitting a bearersetup request to the user equipment, wherein the bearer setup requestcomprises the one or more access categories; transmitting a bearerconfiguration message to the access point, wherein the bearerconfiguration message comprises the one or more access categories;receiving a bearer configuration complete message from the access pointin response to transmission of the bearer configuration message; andreceiving a bearer setup response from the user equipment in response totransmission of the bearer setup request.
 8. The method of claim 7,wherein transmitting a bearer setup request comprises transmitting theone or more access categories and a traffic flow template to the userequipment, and wherein transmitting a bearer configuration messagecomprises transmitting the one or more access categories and the trafficflow template to the access point.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein theuser equipment and the access point filter packets to be transmittedbased on the traffic flow template and access a medium based on the oneor more access categories.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein receivinga create bearer request comprises receiving one or more evolved packetsystem (EPS) bearer QoS parameters.
 11. The method of claim 10, whereinmapping the one or more QoS parameters to an access category comprisesmapping the one or more EPS bearer QoS parameters to an enhanceddistributed channel access (EDCA) access category.
 12. The method ofclaim 7, wherein receiving a create bearer request from the wirelesscarrier network comprises receiving the create bearer request from apacket data network gateway (PDN-GW).
 13. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving, by the user equipment, a bearer setup requestfrom a gateway, wherein the bearer setup request comprises one or moreQoS parameters; mapping, by the user equipment, the one or more QoSparameters to one or more traffic management parameters, wherein thetraffic management parameters comprise a traffic specification;transmitting a traffic specification addition request to the accesspoint, wherein the traffic specification addition request comprises thetraffic specification; receiving a traffic specification additionresponse from the access point; and transmitting a bearer setup responseto the gateway.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein mapping the one ormore QoS parameters to one or more traffic management parameterscomprises determining the traffic specification including at least oneof a medium access control service data unit (MSDU) size, a minimum datarate, a mean data rate, a peak data rate, or a burst size based on theone or more QoS parameters.
 15. The method of claim 14, furthercomprising requesting a medium time from the access point for a trafficstream based on the traffic specification.
 16. The method of claim 13,wherein receiving a bearer setup request comprises receiving one or moreevolved packet system (EPS) bearer QoS parameters.
 17. The method ofclaim 13, wherein mapping the one or more QoS parameters to one or moretraffic management parameters comprises mapping the EPS bearer QoSparameter to the traffic specification.
 18. The method of claim 13,wherein receiving a bearer setup request from a gateway comprisesreceiving the bearer setup request from one of a trusted wireless accessgateway or an untrusted wireless access gateway.
 19. An apparatus foraccessing a service of a wireless carrier network through a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN), the apparatus comprising: means for selectingone or more traffic management parameters associated with the WLAN basedat least in part on one or more quality of service (QoS) parametersassociated with the service of the wireless carrier network beingaccessed; and means for transmitting packets over the WLAN using theselected one or more traffic management parameters associated with theWLAN when a user equipment accesses the service of the wireless carriernetwork through the WLAN, wherein the user equipment enforces theselected one or more traffic management parameters for communications tothe wireless carrier network, and wherein an access point enforces theselected one or more traffic management parameters for communications tothe user equipment over a radio link.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19,further comprising: means for receiving a bearer setup request from agateway, wherein the bearer setup request comprises one or more QoSparameters; means for mapping the one or more QoS parameters to one ormore traffic management parameters, wherein the one or more trafficmanagement parameters comprise one or more access categories; means fortransmitting a bearer configuration message to the user equipment,wherein the bearer configuration message comprises the one or moreaccess categories; means for receiving a bearer configuration completemessage from the user equipment; and means for transmitting a bearersetup response to the gateway.
 21. The apparatus of claim 20, whereinmeans for receiving a bearer setup request comprises means for receivingone or more evolved packet system (EPS) bearer QoS parameters and atraffic flow template.
 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the userequipment and the access point filter packets to be transmitted based onthe traffic flow template and access a medium based on the one or moreaccess categories.
 23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein means formapping the one or more QoS parameters to one or more traffic managementparameters comprises means for mapping the one or more EPS bearer QoSparameters to one or more enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA)access categories.
 24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein means forreceiving a bearer setup request from a gateway comprises means forreceiving the bearer setup request from one of a trusted wireless accessnetwork or an untrusted wireless access network.
 25. The apparatus ofclaim 19, further comprising: means for receiving a create bearerrequest from the wireless carrier network, wherein the create bearerrequest comprises one or more QoS parameters; means for mapping the oneor more QoS parameters to one or more traffic management parameters,wherein the one or more traffic management parameters comprise one ormore access categories; means for transmitting a bearer setup request tothe user equipment, wherein the bearer setup request comprises the oneor more access categories; means for transmitting a bearer configurationmessage to the access point, wherein the bearer configuration messagecomprises the one or more access categories; means for receiving abearer configuration complete message from the access point in responseto transmission of the bearer configuration message; and means forreceiving a bearer setup response from the user equipment in response totransmission of the bearer setup request.
 26. The apparatus of claim 25,wherein means for transmitting a bearer setup request comprises meansfor transmitting one or more access categories and a traffic flowtemplate to the user equipment, and wherein means for transmitting abearer configuration message comprises means for transmitting one ormore access categories and the traffic flow template to the accesspoint.
 27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the user equipment and theaccess point filter packets to be transmitted based on the traffic flowtemplate and access a medium based on the one or more access categories.28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein means for receiving a createbearer request comprises means for receiving one or more evolved packetsystem (EPS) bearer QoS parameters.
 29. The apparatus of claim 28,wherein means for mapping one or more QoS parameters to one or moretraffic management parameters comprises means for mapping the one ormore EPS bearer QoS parameters to one or more enhanced distributedchannel access (EDCA) access categories.
 30. The apparatus of claim 25,wherein means for receiving a create bearer request from the wirelesscarrier network comprises means for receiving the create bearer requestfrom a packet data network gateway (PDN-GW).
 31. The apparatus of claim19, further comprising: means for receiving a bearer setup request froma gateway, wherein the bearer setup request comprises the one or moreQoS parameters; means for mapping the one or more QoS parameters to oneor more traffic management parameters, wherein the one or more trafficmanagement parameters comprise a traffic specification; means fortransmitting a traffic specification addition request to the accesspoint, wherein the traffic specification addition request comprises thetraffic specification; means for receiving a traffic specificationaddition response from the access point; and means for transmitting abearer setup response to the gateway.
 32. The apparatus of claim 31,wherein means for mapping one or more QoS parameters to one or moretraffic management parameters comprises means for determining thetraffic specification including at least one of a medium access controlservice data unit (MSDU) size, a minimum data rate, a mean data rate, apeak data rate, or a burst size based on the one or more QoS parameters.33. The apparatus of claim 32, further comprising means for requesting amedium time from the access point for a traffic stream based on thetraffic specification.
 34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein means forreceiving a bearer setup request comprises means for receiving one ormore evolved packet system (EPS) bearer QoS parameters.
 35. Theapparatus of claim 31, wherein means for mapping one or more QoSparameters to one or more traffic management parameters comprises meansfor mapping the EPS bearer QoS parameters to the traffic specification.36. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein means for receiving a bearersetup request from a gateway comprises means for receiving the bearersetup request from one of a trusted wireless access gateway or anuntrusted wireless access gateway.
 37. The apparatus of claim 19,wherein means for selecting comprises a processor, and wherein means fortransmitting comprises a transmitter.
 38. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed, causes anapparatus to: select one or more traffic management parametersassociated with a wireless local area network (WLAN) based at least inpart on one or more quality of service (QoS) parameters associated witha service of a wireless carrier network being accessed; and transmitpackets over the WLAN using the selected one or more traffic managementparameters associated with the WLAN when a user equipment accesses theservice of the wireless carrier network through the WLAN, wherein theuser equipment enforces the selected one or more traffic managementparameters for communications to the wireless carrier network, andwherein an access point enforces the selected one or more trafficmanagement parameters for communications to the user equipment over aradio link.
 39. The medium of claim 38, further comprising code that,when executed, causes an apparatus to: receive, by the access point, abearer setup request from a gateway, wherein the bearer setup requestcomprises the one or more QoS parameters; map, by the access point, theone or more QoS parameters to the one or more traffic managementparameters, wherein the one or more traffic management parameterscomprise one or more access categories; transmit a bearer configurationmessage to the user equipment, wherein the bearer configuration messagecomprises the one or more access categories; receive a bearerconfiguration complete message from the user equipment; and transmit abearer setup response to the gateway.
 40. The medium of claim 39,further comprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus toreceive one or more evolved packet system (EPS) bearer QoS parametersand a traffic flow template.
 41. The medium of claim 40, furthercomprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus to filterpackets to be transmitted based on the traffic flow template and accessa medium based on the one or more access categories.
 42. The medium ofclaim 40, further comprising code that, when executed, causes anapparatus to map the one or more EPS bearer QoS parameter to one or moreenhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) access categories.
 43. Themethod of claim 39, further comprising code that, when executed, causesan apparatus to receive the bearer setup request from one of a trustedwireless access network or an untrusted wireless access network.
 44. Themedium of claim 38, further comprising code that, when executed, causesan apparatus to: receive, by a gateway, a create bearer request from thewireless carrier network, wherein the create bearer request comprisesthe one or more QoS parameters; map, by the gateway, the one or more QoSparameters to one or more traffic management parameters, wherein the oneor more traffic management parameters comprise one or more accesscategories; transmit a bearer setup request to the user equipment,wherein the bearer setup request comprises the one or more accesscategories; transmit a bearer configuration message to the access point,wherein the bearer configuration message comprises the one or moreaccess categories; receive a bearer configuration complete message fromthe access point in response to transmission of the bearer configurationmessage; and receive a bearer setup response from the user equipment inresponse to transmission of the bearer setup request.
 45. The medium ofclaim 44, further comprising code that, when executed, causes anapparatus to: transmit the one or more access categories and a trafficflow template to the user equipment; and transmit the one or more accesscategories and the traffic flow template to the access point.
 46. Themedium of claim 45, wherein the user equipment and the access pointfilter packets based on the traffic flow template and access a mediumbased on the one or more access categories.
 47. The medium of claim 44,further comprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus toreceive one or more evolved packet system (EPS) bearer QoS parameters.48. The medium of claim 47, further comprising code that, when executed,causes an apparatus to map the one or more EPS bearer QoS parameters toone or more enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) accesscategories.
 49. The medium of claim 44, further comprising code that,when executed, causes an apparatus to receive the create bearer requestfrom a packet data network gateway (PDN-GW).
 50. The medium of claim 38,further comprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus to:receive, by the user equipment, a bearer setup request from a gateway,wherein the bearer setup request comprises one or more QoS parameters;map, by the user equipment, the one or more QoS parameters to a trafficspecification; transmit a traffic specification addition request to theaccess point, wherein the traffic specification addition requestcomprises the traffic specification; receive a traffic specificationaddition response from the access point; and transmit a bearer setupresponse to the gateway.
 51. The medium of claim 50, further comprisingcode that, when executed, causes an apparatus to determine the trafficspecification including at least one of a medium access control servicedata unit (MSDU) size, a minimum data rate, a mean data rate, a peakdata rate, or a burst size based on the one or more QoS parameters. 52.The medium of claim 51, further comprising code that, when executed,causes an apparatus to request a medium time from the access point for atraffic stream based on the traffic specification.
 53. The medium ofclaim 50, further comprising code that, when executed, causes anapparatus to receive one or more evolved packet system (EPS) bearer QoSparameters.
 54. The medium of claim 50, further comprising code that,when executed, causes an apparatus to map the one or more EPS bearer QoSparameter to the traffic specification.
 55. The medium of claim 50,further comprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus toreceive the bearer setup request from one of a trusted wireless accessgateway or an untrusted wireless access gateway.
 56. An apparatus foraccessing a service of a wireless carrier network through a wirelesslocal area network (WLAN), the apparatus comprising: a processorconfigured to select one or more traffic management parametersassociated with the WLAN based at least in part on one or more qualityof service (QoS) parameters associated with the service of the wirelesscarrier network being accessed; and a transmitter configured to transmitpackets over the WLAN using the selected one or more traffic managementparameters associated with the WLAN when a user equipment accesses theservice of the wireless carrier network through the WLAN, wherein theuser equipment enforces the selected one or more traffic managementparameters for communications to the wireless carrier network, andwherein an access point enforces the selected one or more trafficmanagement parameters for communications to the user equipment over aradio link.
 57. The apparatus of claim 56, further comprising: areceiver configured to receive a bearer setup request from a gateway,wherein the bearer setup request comprises the one or more QoSparameters, wherein the processor is further configured to map the oneor more QoS parameters to the one or more traffic management parameters,wherein the one or more traffic management parameters comprise one ormore access categories, wherein the transmitter is further configured totransmit a bearer configuration message to a user equipment, wherein thebearer configuration message comprises the one or more accesscategories, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive abearer configuration complete message from the user equipment inresponse to the bearer configuration message, and wherein thetransmitter is further configured to transmit a bearer setup response tothe gateway.
 58. The apparatus of claim 57, wherein the bearer setuprequest further comprises one or more evolved packet system (EPS) bearerQoS parameters and a traffic flow template.
 59. The apparatus of claim58, wherein the apparatus is configured to filter a packet to betransmitted based on the traffic flow template and access a medium basedon the one or more access categories.
 60. The apparatus of claim 59,wherein the one or more access categories define a minimum contentionwindow value and a maximum contention window value for accessing themedium.
 61. The apparatus of claim 58, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to map the one or more EPS bearer QoS parameter to one ormore enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA) access categories. 62.The apparatus of claim 57, wherein the gateway comprises one of atrusted wireless access network or an untrusted wireless access network.63. The apparatus of claim 56, further comprising: a receiver configuredto receive a create bearer request from the wireless carrier network,wherein the create bearer request comprises the one or more QoSparameters, wherein the processor is further configured to map the oneor more QoS parameters to the one or more traffic management parameters,wherein the one or more traffic management parameters comprise one ormore access categories, and wherein the transmitter is furtherconfigured to: transmit a bearer setup request to the user equipment,wherein the bearer setup request comprises the one or more accesscategories, and wherein the receiver is further configured to receive abearer setup response from the user equipment in response totransmission of the bearer setup request, and transmit a bearerconfiguration message to the access point, wherein the bearerconfiguration message comprises the one or more access categories, andwherein the receiver is further configured to receive a bearerconfiguration complete message from the access point in response totransmission of the bearer configuration message.
 64. The apparatus ofclaim 63, wherein the create bearer request further comprises a trafficflow template, and wherein the transmitter is further configured totransmit the traffic flow template to the access point.
 65. Theapparatus of claim 64, wherein the user equipment and the access pointfilter packets based on the traffic flow template and access a mediumbased on the one or more access categories.
 66. The apparatus of claim65, wherein the one or more access categories define a minimumcontention window value and a maximum contention window value foraccessing the medium.
 67. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein the one ormore QoS parameters comprise one or more evolved packet system (EPS)bearer QoS parameters.
 68. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein theprocessor is further configured to map the one or more EPS bearer QoSparameters to one or more enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA)access categorys.
 69. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein the wirelesscarrier network comprises a packet data network gateway (PDN-GW). 70.The apparatus of claim 56, further comprising: a receiver configured toreceive a bearer setup request from a gateway, wherein the bearer setuprequest comprises the one or more QoS parameters, wherein the processoris further configured to map the one or more QoS parameters to a trafficspecification, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmita traffic specification addition request to the access point, whereinthe traffic specification addition request comprises the trafficspecification, wherein the receiver is further configured to receive atraffic specification addition response from the access point inresponse to the traffic specification addition request, and wherein thetransmitter is further configured to transmit a bearer setup response tothe gateway.
 71. The apparatus of claim 70, wherein the trafficspecification comprises at least one of a medium access control servicedata unit (MSDU) size, a minimum data rate, a mean data rate, a peakdata rate, or a burst size based on the one or more QoS parameters. 72.The apparatus of claim 71, further comprising a pathway selectorconfigured to request a medium time from the access point for a trafficstream based on the traffic specification.
 73. The apparatus of claim70, wherein the one or more QoS parameters comprise one or more evolvedpacket system (EPS) bearer QoS parameters.
 74. The apparatus of claim70, wherein the processor is further configured to map the one or moreEPS bearer QoS parameters to the traffic specification.
 75. Theapparatus of claim 70, wherein the gateway comprises one of a trustedwireless access gateway or an untrusted wireless access gateway.